Lack of rivals sets ‘Django’ free

With no fresh competition, film climbs to $158 million overseas

Against a dearth of fresh competition, Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” won its third consecutive weekend overseas, grossing $30.3 million over the Feb. 1-3 frame, for an international cume of $158.4 million.

“Django” fell only about 30% from the previous weekend, even though it debuted in just three territories, with the largest, Argentina, contributing a little more than $500,000 in three days.

The Sony-distributed Oscar pic contender did stellar biz in Germany, where it dropped a mere 20% in its third frame to $6.4 million for a cume of more than $30 million. In France, the pic fell just 28% in its third stanza to nearly $5 million for a cume of almost $24 million

It’s not unusual for the previous year’s holdovers to dominate the B.O. at this time of year, though “Django” represents a more adult-skewing tentpole than 2012’s “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” or 2010’s “Avatar.”

“Django” could spend another week at the top, with the only other major release, Fox’s “A Good Day to Die Hard,” bowing in just a handful of emerging Asian markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. (“Die Hard” goes day-and-date with the U.S. in seven overseas territories.)

Paramount expands “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” to Australia, with “Flight” debuting in another seven markets, including Brazil and Mexico.

Last weekend, “Hansel and Gretel” ranked second overseas, at $16.2 million, while “Flight” just missed the top five, grossing $6.5 million. “Hansel” has cumed $63.5 million from 36 markets through Feb. 3; “Flight” has reached $22.3 million from 20.